Number of Victims of Sexual Abuse by US National Gymnastics Team Doctor Increases to 256 Girls

A judge in Michigan stated on Wednesday, February 1, that the number of women and girls who have been sexually abused by Larry Nassar, the sports doctor for the US national and Olympic teams, has risen to 265. Larry Nassar, 54, was sentenced last week in Lansing, Michigan, to 40 to 175 years in prison for more than 150 counts of sexual abuse of young female athletes. According to NBC News, Larry Nassar admitted to sexually abusing ten girls in court last week. Judge Janice Cunningham of the Eaton County Court emphasized on Wednesday that there may still be many unidentified victims. NBC News reports that several organizations that Mr. Nassar worked for are facing the challenge of why they failed to prevent his actions earlier. In response to this scandal, the president of Michigan State University and the athletic director of the university resigned from their positions. Additionally, the prosecutor's office has assigned a special investigator to investigate Michigan State University. In this context, all members of the board of the US Gymnastics Federation also resigned last week. This came after the US Olympic Committee had previously given the board members an ultimatum to step down. Larry Nassar had previously been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.